Improved ponton



y 'ilnrrnn STAT-ns irnoMAs tA lnormar., or Rosenrot, Mnssltonnsnrfrs-IMPROVED'PONTQN.

Specification forming part rf-Letters Patent No. 410,425?, dated October27, 1863.

. 'forms a t'nll and exact specification ofthe saine, n'liereinl havesetiorth the nature and principles .of my said improvements by which myinvention may bc distinguished i'romall others of. a similar class,together with such parts'as I claim and desire to have secured to me byLetters Patent.

The figures oi' the accompanying plate et" drawings represent myimprovements.

Figure l is a plan or top View; Fig. Q e central longitudinal verticalsection, and fhig. 3 a central transverse vertical section.

Tlnnpresent invention consists in certain new ari-d usei'ul improvementsin the construction of' boats or vessels with a View to facilitate theirtransportation over land, and yet be quickly and ezsily pntin readinessto bc launched.

My new boats are designed to. be used mostly i'nr army purposes forthetransporta 1 tlfOn ot' inuteri-.il of War and i'or the formation ofponton-brnlges; although they are equally Well adapted to any use whichrequires both carryingr capacity or lbuoyancy on water and lightness andcompactness for land travel.

I construct a boataccording to my in'i'provements as follows; l' take asheet or sheets ot' 'flexible water-proof' materiel, .ff l

f1 a., like 'india-rubber, or clotlrcoatcd: with the same or with anyother water-proof substance, and i'orin the saine into the requiredshape and size to constitute the body ot' the boat. In

"' and around the 'edges-of tlis body or bottom y'of the boat I form aseries ot' grfnnmet-holcs, b b, dac., protected by .suitable 'eyeletsv oc is a trame, made z igid, to which 'the Hexible body a an a issecr-'red by means of pins, bolts, chains, or cords passing through thegrommetholes b b, etc., and .through corresponding holes, d d, die.,formed in the frame c c -Tlius it will be seen lthe gunwales of the boatare. formed.

' Tobring the 4flexible body a an a into the required boat shape, T havearranged the following devices: To the. fra-mec o is attachedby asuitable hinge or pivot two or more swinging frames, e e e e, of theshane sbownin tie drawings. When they are depressed. so as to occupy arertical position, 'as shown in .in Figs. 2 and 3, the iiexible body o aa a ,is

held in this condition. To keep the swingin g' frames o e e e iirmly ina vertical position any suitable .locking device may be used. .To stillfurther increase the stiffness ofthe 'neat I em ploylongitinlinai bracesor bars-J J in the bottom thereof', against which the swinging trames ec e c bear, as shown in Figs. land 3. `When tbeboat is to be transportedover land the swinging,` frames e e e e are raised into a horizontalposition, so as to beparallel ujiin the gunWale-trainv c c and thelongitudinal braces or bars anremoved.

i whole :an be packed in a .{ery small space.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the flesible body ctd a o can be almost instantaneous-ly put iutosnch a compact i'orm as toloe easily transported from piace to place and as quickly'i'ormed into anoni l'or the conveyance of persons7 animals, or goods on the Water.'

Ifhc frame c c can be constructed so as to ce ,lismen'ibcred by forming'screw or other joints i upside down and providing proper base supl iportsihereto can be used as a shelter-tenti` l A. series of these boatsside by side, or Iotherwisc,. will, it will be obvious. form a i isimply placing any suitable planking to form i a roadway acoss them.

what Icla-im as my invention, and desire to have secured by LettersPatent, is-y i l. The distending boat-frame, the same consisting of-amain frame and oneor more g swinging, frames, thewhole being constructedto operate together as'describvd.. I 2. In combination Witbthe mainandswinging frames, constituting a distending frame,

operating` substantially as set tortil, the lon- 1 gitudinal braces,arranged as herein described,

for stitfening the bottom as` specied.

THOS.4 J. MAYALI..

. Witnesses:

l ALBERT W. VBntnvn,

Josnrn GAVETT.

distended into the required shape and rigidly l "lhen itwill be" seenthe body a. a a. a. beingr ilexibie, the

rat the corners, and the Whole boat by turning` buoyantand substantialponton-bridge, by

Having thus described my improvements, i

